As we are about to close out another year, it is time to take a look back at some of the new features, notable MakeUseOf posts, and standout extensions surrounding one of the most popular browsers, Chrome. There has been both good and bad said about Chrome in 2015, but the fact remains that it is and will likely continue to be one of the most widely used browsers.

New Chrome Features in 2015

2015 did bring many new options to Chrome users that you may or may not even realize exist. Take a look at just some of these features introduced this year along with the month of release:

High-resolution audio support and synchronous music using Chromecast Audio (December)

VP9 video format support for less data usage and higher quality videos (October)

3 Must-Read Chrome Posts

It’s Time To Break Up With Google ChromeIt's Time To Break Up With Google ChromeIt's Time To Break Up With Google ChromeAs a big fan of Google Chrome for a long time, I finally decided it was time for us to break up. It came down to overall performance, customization, and extensions.Read More — For those of you on the fence about which browser to use, check out my piece about a heart-felt good-bye Chrome. This is an article that I wrote explaining why I needed to discontinue my use of the browser. The article contains a brief performance comparison between browsers, issues with coming out of a locked mode and then moves onto a speed test that Firefox won.

After favoring Firefox for both customization options and extensions and tools, it was a sad farewell that I bid to Google Chrome. This article sparked a lot of response from those who completely disagreed to those who were a bit indifferent to those who agreed. Whatever your thoughts on Chrome as compared to Firefox, it ultimately comes down to preference as the browser wars will definitely continue.

The primary app mentioned was WhatsApp, which is an extremely popular instant messaging app. If you use WhatsApp often, this is good reason to prefer Chrome over alternatives. The article also notes an extension for Chromecast as another great reason to stick with the Chrome browser. This handy add-on lets you cast images from your computer to your television, allows you play videos from compatible apps like YouTube, and lets you to stream shows from Netflix. So, if you’re looking for reasons to stick with Chrome, this is a very helpful article.

The author’s steps outlined how to fix issues, disable settings and plugins, and gave tips for better management of extensions. Aaron Couch assisted people with questions and provided a great list of actions to take to improve your browsing experience with Chrome, showing that there was hope for doubters.

Standout Chrome Extensions in 2015

As you know, MakeUseOf routinely searches, tests, and uses various browser extensions in order to bring you some of the best out there. Chrome really does have some wonderful, helpful, and useful extensions with many that stand out. Here are some of the best Chrome extensions we featured in 2015.

The Best Chrome Extensions of 2015

There you have it, this is our essential list of popular posts and extensions for Chrome this year. Whether you need tips and tricks for better Chrome performance or handy extensions to improve your productivity, MakeUseOf has you covered here. We can’t wait to see what new features, tools, and extensions will be coming in the new year for Chrome users, how about you?

What are your favorite new extensions for Chrome? And which of our Chrome articles did you love most this year?

With her BS in Information Technology, Sandy worked for many years in the IT industry as a Project Manager, Department Manager, and PMO Lead. She then decided to follow her dream and now writes about technology full-time.